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KhanArt's Jet Black///Cinnamon 6spd E46 M3 looong term build thread

153K views 389 replies 74 participants last post by  KhanArt 
#1 · (Edited)
I figured I make a build thread since I plan on keeping this car for a while and have a lot of planned. Let me begin by saying I have always loved anything with wheels and an engine. I can always talk about cars and the subject always has my full attention. Below are my previous cars in the order I had them.

First car was a 90 Celica GT which was a hand me down, this is where the mod bug began.


Second car was a 00 Accord sedan which I bought new.. not sure why I bought this car but I don***8217;t regret it. Most reliable car ever. I still have it today (174k) and it is my daily driver/beater. It's back to stock now other than tint and an intake. I kept this car as my daily and bought and sold project cars over the time I had it.



Third car was a 79 Trans Am ***8220;Smokey and The Bandit***8221; I always wanted this car and this is the only car I regret letting go. I love muscle cars as well as other styles. I just didn***8217;t have the time and money to restore it so I sold it to a better home. I did do some maintenance on it before I sold it. It was a beast! I would like to buy the Burt Reynolds Edition Trans Am one day in the future.




Last car I had was a 05 G35 coupe 6spd with nav. This was a really nice car and I wasn***8217;t ready to let her go but I was getting married and buying a house so I needed to save money. It is no M in performance but was still a fun car. I loved how this car sounded especially after the few mods I did to it.

Build thread for the G35:
http://g35driver.com/forums/nationalgclub/305110-khanart-zs-progression-thread.html






Finally, I***8217;m happy to say I'm a new M3 owner. I was able to pick the car up that I wanted on (4/24/12) and didn't have to settle. I got about everything that I wanted but nav. I believe the car came with almost every option including the ski bag. Super clean 04 Jet Black/Cinnamon 6spd with 45,9xx miles. It came with angel eyes (not sure which brand), light tint, Dice Media bridge, and the OEM 19's powder coated black. Other than that all stock. It looks like she was very well taken care of. All 4 brake pads were new and also 2 new rear Pilot Sport tires came with the car.
I baby this car and keep her clean. She is garage kept and is not driven in the rain/snow. Rear seat is not used and I don***8217;t have plans on tracking her at the moment but I do have some fun spirited drives here and there with the DSC off of course.
Here are some pics of her at the dealership and some pics of her when I first brought her home.





Daily driver and M3



Took the headlight apart to fix a broken clip on one of the angel eyes.



Came with the Dice Mediabridge



First mods were black grills/gills, smoked corners/sidemarkers, and painted reflectors. I thought the chrome, clear corners, and amber reflectors looked mixed matched to me. I think it flows better now, who knows I might change it up later.

Matte black gills and smoked sidemarkers



Matte black grills, smoked corners, and painted reflectors



Blacked out with the M banner in the garage




Put led bulbs for the rear plate lights (new vs. old bulb)



M3 plate frame



M valve stem caps



BMW all weather floor mats



Clutch stop mod

Thread for clutch stop mod:
http://www.m3forum.net/m3forum/showthread.php?t=108849




Zhp shift knob



Plugged the license plate holes with really small plugs from Home Depot



M key chain



I also have added many tools and detailing supplies to my current selection. I plan to DIY as much as I can




I plan on going through the maintenance first:
Oil/filter change
Air filter
Cabin Air filter
Vanos filter
Trans fluid
Diff fluid
Spark plugs
Fuel filter
CDV delete
I also want to update some interior trim pieces and other parts. My goal is to keep her up to date with maintenance and restoring her to her original shape. I do plan on lowering the car, upgrading the exhaust for a little power and sound, and more. I know this isn***8217;t the most exciting journal but I will update it as I go and do a better job of taking pictures.
 
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#7 ·
#8 ·
Off to a perfect start. Im glad your purchased the necessary tools and jacks before starting any of the work. Looks like you've got an exciting build underway. I loved the difference I felt when I cleaned my MAF sensor for the first time. The car idled so much smoother. Whenever I clean my MAF I always change the filter and run Chevron Techron in my tank as well. It will make a world of a difference!

Good luck.
 
#9 ·
Thanks, I agree the car idles so much smoother after cleaning the MAF. I was impatient and did it before I got my new air filter but from now on every time I change the air filter I will clean it.

I plan on knocking all these out in one shot. Hopefully this month.

Oil/oil filter change
vanos filter
air filter
cabin air filter.

Shouldn't take long at all and should cost too much either.
 
#14 ·
Thank you

Where are you located in virginia?
Woodbridge

Well hello there, i can attest to how clean this car is, drives very smoothly too! Keep us updated man!
What's up bro? Are you going to the Baltimore Grand Prix?

Shouldnt take long for the oil, air, and cabin air filter change.. The vanos filter might be the most time consuming but Im sure it isnt that hard. Youre off to a great start, I like where this is going.

I can recommend TheBMWPartstore.com as they've so far offered the cheapest prices for all of these replacement parts. Also the shipping is free if its over $100 :thumbup:
I'll check them out. I think I got my zhp knob from them, I also have bought from ECS tuning.
 
#15 · (Edited)
#24 ·
Thanks

Nice mate, I love the interior, cinnamon is quite rare.
Thanks, I was looking for this specific combo. As well as year, mileage, condition, and transmission. Luckily was able to find it locally. I tend to see more cars with this combo now though lol... look at my sig pic.
 
#25 · (Edited)
Update (10/2/2012) Steering wheel stitching cleaned

Major update guys, HUGE mod! Just kidding... I just cleaned the stitching on my steering wheel. I saw this thread and thought I give it a try. So for the purpose of documentation..

Thread for stitching cleaning
http://www.m3forum.net/m3forum/showthread.php?t=374018

Before:



After:



I also have cleaned and conditioned the seats and leather with Gliptone cleaner and conditioner a few times since I bought the car.

Not sure what is better Gliptone or Leatherique but I plan on trying both.

Thread comparing the 2 products
http://www.m3forum.net/m3forum/showthread.php?t=399837
 
#30 · (Edited)
Update (10/27/2012) LED Reverse bulbs and M stripes

I received my CREE LED reverse bulbs and M stripes in the mail last week.



I have not installed the stripes yet. Thanks to member rovert for the stripes.

Thread for the stripes:
http://m3forum.net/m3forum/showthread.php?t=418855

I ordered the reverse bulbs after seeing them on (IB//M3) journal and seeing many great reviews on them. Really bright!






Finally I got under the car and checked my subframe for cracks. I didn't see anything but I still plan on getting a shop to look at it for piece of mind.
 
#31 · (Edited)
Update (11/3/2012) Lowering springs installed

I finally got around to getting these Tein S Tech springs installed that were laying around in my garage. First impressions, I am very happy with the drop considering that these are springs. As of now I don't think I would want to go any lower but we will see if I change my mind in the future. It drives and handles well, not bouncy and I don't hear any out of the ordinary sounds. I am in bad need of spacers now that my wheels have sunk in under the fenders. Probably next on my list. On to the pics..

Springs



Before




After





 
#42 · (Edited)
Update (11/10/2012)

I got a baseline dyno today (completely stock). I am very happy with my numbers 288.1 whp. Minor mods and a custom tune is where I will begin.

I apologize, on that dyno run on 11/10/12 when the car made 288.1whp it was NOT completely stock. It had a tune. I had no way of knowing. The number wasn't outrageous so we just thought it was a strong car. We discovered that the car had a tune today when testing the car on the dyno and the numbers were too high to be stock.

Also from that dyno run let me add my car had old gas which was probably sitting there for some time. I do not daily drive the car and that was the first nice day we had in a long time and I took it out for the meet. If you have been following the thread about Dave (Dafoe), he had a similar issue with bad gas and bad spark plugs.

Also let me add from that dyno run we did not stabilize air temps, so it wasn't completely accurate. I had a dyno session today with accurate results. I will post up soon.
 
#33 · (Edited)
Update (11/21/2012) Front/rear spacers

Installed ECS Tuning 20mm front 15mm rear spacers. I'm running a 225/40 front and 255/35 rear tire on OEM 19's. Rears rub slightly sometimes during turning, big dips, and hard acceleration. I plan to get my fenders rolled in the rear, hopefully that will eliminate the rubbing.

I am very happy with the spacers. Car is planted and looks aggressive. James at ECS also helped me with a small issue I had.








Good video for reference:

http://youtu.be/3LeFZsyGRrs
 
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